In a historic showdown between two Ugandan brothers, Arthur Kaluma and Adam Seiko faced off in the NCAA March Madness Elite 8 level, with San Diego State’s Adam Seiko ultimately coming out on top with a final score of 57-56 against Creighton University.
What is most fantastical is that the brothers, and their family, went through this last year, when Creighton rallied from a 9-point deficit in the final two minutes and beat San Diego State in overtime in a first-round game in Fort Worth.
Kaluma, who is five years younger and four inches taller, once head-butted his older brother on a drive to the basket, opening a gash that left a half-inch scar on Seiko’s left eyelid that took nine stitches to close.
With the game tied at 56-56, The Aztecs ran down the clock and had a midcourt inbounds with 6.7 seconds left. The original play wasn’t open and Lamont Butler inbounded to Aguek Arop, who handed off to Darrion Trammell, who dribbled off a ball screen and lofted a floater from just inside the free-throw line with the Bluejays’ Nembhard on his back. The shot bounce off the front rim but with the referee’s whistle and a review of a foul call with 1.2 seconds left. Trammell missed the first and made the second for the Aztecs win.
Lamont Butler led the Aztecs with 18 points. Trammell had 12. Nathan Mensah had eight, including a clutch jumper with 1:35 that put them up 56-54 after Creighton had drawn even on a pair of baskets by 7-foot-1 Ryan Kalkbrenner (17 points). Arthur Kaluma scored 12 points and 5 rebounds on 37 minutes on the floor and a 4/8 Shooting.
The Aztecs shot just 37.7%, below Creighton’s 40%, but they compensated with 13 offensive rebounds that they converted into 13 second-chance points. They also held the Bluejays to two of 17 behind the three-point arc.
Despite being on opposing teams, both brothers have expressed their admiration and support for each other throughout the tournament. Kaluma watched from the tunnel as Seiko delivered the go-ahead 3-pointer in San Diego State’s upset of top-ranked Alabama. The brothers are immensely proud of each other, but also make sure that the other knows his place. Arthur Kaluma has on several occasions boastfully made the pronouncement — that his brother can’t guard him and usually Seiko just rolls his eyes.
. “It’s an amazing experience, watching my brother play and then having the chance to play against him — especially at this level” – Arthur Kaluma.
The boys’ father, Patrick had introduced them to soccer when they were growing up, but Seiko soon was bitten by the basketball bug and Arthur followed along, impatiently running onto the court with a basketball during any timeout or halftime break during Adam’s youth games.
As he got older, Arthur watched his older brother — the diligence with which he studied the game and worked in the gym. When he was in middle school, Arthur asked Adam to help improve his ball handling. So Adam set up a series of cones for a dribbling drill in the front yard of their home in California.
“Every time I’d mess up a drill more than three times, he’d just walk out and go, ‘Man, you’re never going to get this,’” Arthur said. “At a young age, that kind of hurt.”
But Arthur kept at it, and while Adam was on his way to San Diego State, Arthur sprouted up, shooting past his brother by the time he entered high school. Soon, they began playing competitive games against each other — and Arthur’s indomitable self-confidence had found a receptacle in which to take root.
The success of these Ugandan siblings in the NCAA March Madness tournament is a source of pride for their family and their home country -Uganda. The brothers are key features of the Uganda National Basketball Team – The Silverbacks.
As the San Diego State Aztecs prepare for the Final Four, Ugandans will be cheering on Adam Seiko and his team, hoping to see them carry the prestigious NCAA championship title. San Diego University will go against FL Atlantic on Sunday 2nd April. It is without a doubt that the brothers continue to inspire a new generation of basketball players in Uganda with their success and dedication to the game.
Editorial & Cucu Brian
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